Barbell Spider Curl
The barbell spider curl is a strict biceps curl done lying chest-down on an incline bench with your arms hanging straight down, using an EZ bar or straight bar. With the upper arms vertical, the load stays on the biceps and brachialis into the top of the curl, and the bench takes body swing out of the lift.
Also called: EZ-Bar Spider Curl, Prone Incline Barbell Curl, Bar Spider Curl · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Set an adjustable bench to an incline of about 45°.
- Lie face down on the bench with your chest against the pad, the top of the pad at your upper chest, and your feet on the floor.
- Let your arms hang straight down and take the bar from the floor or a partner with a palms-up grip at about shoulder width.
- Keeping your upper arms vertical and still, curl the bar up until your elbows are fully bent.
- Squeeze the biceps and hold the top for about a second.
- Bring the bar back down under control until your arms are straight and hanging vertically.
- After the last rep, set the bar down on the floor beneath you before you stand up.
- Upper arms vertical, elbows still
- Chest pinned to the pad
- Squeeze and hold the top
- Slow on the way down
- Wrists straight, in line with your forearms
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Biceps brachii: short head | Prime mover | C |
| Biceps brachii: long head | Prime mover | C |
| Brachialis | Secondary | B |
| Brachioradialis | Secondary | C |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Elbows swinging forward
Fix: Keep your upper arms hanging vertically and move only at the elbows.
Chest peeling off the pad
Fix: Keep your chest pressed into the pad for every rep.
Rushing the top
Fix: Curl fully and hold the top for about a second.
Dropping the bar to straight arms
Fix: Bring the bar down under control and reverse smoothly at straight arms.
Wrists curling in at the top
Fix: Keep your wrists straight and in line with your forearms.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure; spider curls are usually done with moderate loads and strict reps.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit; true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns; about 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5.
- Where the load sits — With the arms vertical, the spider curl loads the biceps most near the top and very little at the bottom. Curl research links training in the stretched range to growth near the elbow, so many programmes pair it with a curl that loads the stretch.
- The evidence gap — There is no direct research on the spider curl itself; its use rests on the mechanics of the vertical-arm position.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the barbell spider curl in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.